Published Dec. 4, 2025

In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology at Mayo Clinic, is joined by William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, to discuss Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) reform and the first reported death from alpha-gal syndrome. Later, Dr. Pritt welcomes Chris Garcia, M.D., Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ chief digital innovation officer and medical director of BioPharma Diagnostics, to explore how biopharma diagnostics advance research and development. 

• PAMA reform update (00:33): Get the latest on where reform to PAMA stands following the federal government’s reopening.
• Alpha-gal syndrome case (03:22): Learn about the first known death from alpha-gal syndrome and diagnostic testing for this tick-bite-triggered red meat allergy.
• Biopharma’s role in research and development (07:52): Discover how biopharma diagnostics fuel innovation and how digital tools are expanding its future impact.  

Note: Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting.

Resources

• BioPharma Diagnostics: Connecting pharma and biotech
• Tick-borne disease: An expanding geographic threat